Molest charges dropped against teacher

A Potter Valley teacher has resigned rather than face charges he inappropriately touched students, authorities said Monday.

"We went ahead and dismissed" the charges, said Mendocino County District Attorney Meredith Lintott.

Dan Holbrook, 62, had been charged with seven counts of annoying or molesting a child and three counts of sexual battery.

Two or three students said he had touched them during the course of class activities when other students were present, Lintott said.

The accusations included that Holbrook's hand grazed a girl's breast as he examined her necklace, she said.

There were no allegations of any attempt to have sexual relations with the students, she said.

She said the allegations would have been difficult to prove in court because the touching could have been interpreted as being accidental and Holbrook had never before been accused of being inappropriate with students.

She said the decision to drop the charges also was affected by an outpouring of support from Potter Valley residents.

"This was very divisive to the community," Lintott said.

A psychological exam also was favorable to Holbrook, she said.

Holbrook's agreement to resign from teaching at Potter Valley largely alleviated the concerns of the families of the girls who complained, Lintott said.

Holbrook was a math and science teacher at Potter Valley Junior and Senior High School teacher for about eight years.

He was placed on administrative leave following the allegations, which surfaced in September 2007. The charges against him, filed in November, were dropped July 25.

Holbrook could not be reached for comment Monday. His attorney, Chris Andrian of Santa Rosa, said Holbrook was innocent of any criminal act and had agreed to stop teaching at Potter Valley for the good of the school district and the students.

"The charges created a circumstance that would have made it uncomfortable" for students, parents and himself, Andrian said, describing the outcome as "fair and just."

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com.